Tipping advice needed

I have tried to read other posts within this forum but ended up more confused. Coming from Australia the majority of us tip only in restaurants - approx 10% - so tipping all sorts of people is pretty tricky. Could I please have some calm responses to my specific questions please? (Previous posts seem to get pretty heated!) I just want to do the right thing by everybody without it costing me more than it has to holiday in Hawaii anyway!

1. Housekeeping - daily or at the end of the stay? How much? How do the staff know that the money I accidentally left on the counter is not for them?

2. We are scuba diving on three days - an expensive exercise. Do we tip boat staff? One amount or individual staff - eg captain and divemaster.

3. If we do the bike tour from Haleakala - are we expected to tip at the end?

4. Old Lahaina Luau - already debited my credit card. Tip staff? Is that per drink or at the end?

(See why I am so confused?!)

5. Kayak tour - same as the scuba diving?

6. Helicopter trip - tip pilot? (...and that is costing me a lot for three people, anyway!!)

7. Restaurants - % of bill?

As for car rental, I%26#39;m guessing I don%26#39;t have to tip them as well.

As you can imagine, coming from a non-tipping country this is a pretty frightening list and quite a daunting task as I really want to do the right thing by the Hawaiian people.

Many thanks in advance

Tipping advice needed

Can%26#39;t answer all

but my two cents -

I always tip housekeeping daily. That way if the shift changes you know that your person gets the tip. I usually either put the cash ($5) in an envelope labeled ';housekeeping'; or wrap a paper around it and leave it in an obvious place (labeled housekeeping).

Restaurants - tipping is standard at 15% - 20% for exceptional service.

No on the car rental

Kayak, snorkel, etc...when we went they had a %26#39;tip jar%26#39; and we just dropped in and they sorted out who got what.

Hope that helps!

Working in tourism (non-tip industry though) I do tend to tip perhaps a little more heavily.

Tipping advice needed

Welcome to the good ol%26#39; USA :)

My responses ... I do a lot of traveling and these are my standards ... but there is some wiggle room especially on tours.

1. Housekeeping -- I leave a couple of bucks per day (or $5 in Hawaii, sometimes) on my pillow. That way I figure they know its for them ...

2. I%26#39;m not sure about a scuba trip ... if you%26#39;re with the same company I%26#39;d say tip them once at the end (assuming it%26#39;s the same staff each day)

3. If it is a guided tour, and the guides are helpful/informative/etc, I%26#39;d say yes ... but I am not sure how much interaction you actually have with the guides. Some of these trips are self guided. I wouldn%26#39;t tip over $10 here.

4. Luau -- I think we left a tip on the table -- maybe $10-$20. I really can%26#39;t remember but I%26#39;d follow the example of others around. You do not tip per drink.

5. Kayak tour ... I%26#39;d say $20 here if the guide is good.

6. Helicopter trip ... yes, I%26#39;d say tip. Not sure how much. When in doubt, my rule for a tour is $20. But maybe someone else will give you a better idea.

7. Restaurants -- minimum of 15% of the bill (pre tax) if service is acceptable. If bad service, tip less (this really sends a message, as waitstaff in the US have tips included as part of their salary and their hourly wage is very low.) If very good service, 18-20%. You can buy ';tip tables'; (a small card listing 15, 18, 20 percent of various dollar amounts) in some convenience stores or in Wal Mart ... sometimes these are up around the cash register. (Okay -- it%26#39;s not that hard to figure, but I know plenty of people with these things in their wallets!)

You do not have to tip the car rental agent ... however, if you valet park, a tip of $2-$3 is common when getting your car back (not when you drop it off)

Other places tips are sometimes expected ... the concierge at the hotel if they are particularly helpful. The bellman at the hotel who takes your luggage ($1 per bag) or the porter at the airport if you use them. Also a taxi driver gets 15% of the fare or so.

Good luck. Good idea to get some $1 bills when you get there :) I keep $8-$10 in ones if I%26#39;m staying at a nice hotel just for this purpose.

Thanks - this is confirmation of what I thought I was reading in the other posts! Really needed to make it relevant to me, though!

Out of curiosity, what is the average hourly wage for housekeeping and wait staff?

Per 2006 surveys, wait staff made an avg of $11.2/hr ... this includes tips, I imagine.

Housekeepers%26#39; wages averaged $12.50/hr.

Just curious, any idea what a tour helicopter pilot on Maui makes? Thanks for any information!

this link may help you out

http://howmuchtotip.org/

denise226:

You%26#39;ve already gotten great advice from others and I have nothing to add except my cell phone has a feature that will figure the tip for me. If yours does too, you won%26#39;t have to buy a tax table card (which is still a good idea). Check your phone features!

Have fun!

jc

Your phone has a feature thjat will calculate the tip for you ? Would that feature be called A CALCULATOR by chance ?

Are there REALLY people that can%26#39;t multiply by 10%, 15% or 20% in their head ???

denise

when you are figuring out restaurant tipping you tip on the food and drink amount BEFORE any taxes are added --- you should not be tipping on the tax amount

denise -- You may think wages are high in Hawaii, but please remember that almost everything is imported and costs more. Also housing is a huge cost. Many people in Hawaii work three jobs.